


Grocery Shopping: Past and Present

by Strength_in_pain



Series: John and his boys [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean Winchester responsible, Dean and Sam Winchester argue playfully, Dean refuses to talk about his feelings with Sam, Dean winchester alone, Gen, Grocery Shopping, Grocery Store, John Winchester Has Issues, John Winchester remembers Mary, Sad John Winchester, Weechesters, Young Dean Winchester, Young Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 18:31:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15955061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strength_in_pain/pseuds/Strength_in_pain
Summary: “Your Daddy came to Portland after a house fire. Poor man was so grief-stricken, he could barely talk.”Sam gulped, suddenly feeling sick. He hated talking about that time. Life seemed so miserable. He was thankful he couldn’t remember any of it. He glanced at his big brother and wondered if Dean could remember anything. From the looks of it, Dean was in deep thought...





	Grocery Shopping: Past and Present

> **Grocery Store, Porter, Oklahoma. 1994 and 1984.**
> 
> **Dean 15 and 5. Sam 11 and 1.**

“Whhhhyyyyy.” Sam’s loud shriek pierced Dean’s ears. Reacting violently, Dean turned into a parking space and hit the breaks so roughly, the two boys were jolted forward. 

“Because Dad said so.” Dean barked, opening the driver door to his Dad’s impala. Ever since his father taught him how to drive, Dean has been dying for a chance to take the impala for a spin. Technically, at fifteen, he wasn’t allowed to be driving on his own, but his dad said it was fine as long as he didn’t get pulled over. 

“Why can’t Dad just do it.” Sam asked, getting out of his side of the car. “It’s not like he’s on a hunt.”

“No, but he’s working.” Dean said. 

“You mean hustling pool.” Sam replied heatedly. 

“No Sammy, I mean he’s working, like at the garage. Fixing up suspensions and wheel alignments, stuff like that.” 

“Why do people actually hire, Dad?”

“I don’t know. But be thankful they do. That’s the whole reason we have money to hustle with in the first place.”

“Is he hustling after work?” Sam asked. 

“Probably.” Dean muttered. He locked the impala, before walking towards the store. “I don’t see why you’re so worked up about grocery shopping anyway. You should be happy. We get to pick the food we want for once. I mean, think about it. I can have all the chips in the world and you can have your health crap food.” 

“It’s fruits and vegetables, Dean. They give you lots of vitamins and -“

“Aw save the mom speech for someone else. I’m not eating rabbit food.” 

Sam opened the door for his older brother. Dean thanked him by wrapping his arm around Sam’s shoulders. “You’re getting wider in your shoulders, Sam. Any cute girls been checking you out recently?” 

“No.” Sam blushed. When Dean chuckled, Sam made sure to forcefully push his brother away. 

“Aw I’m just asking.” Dean said. He went to ruffle Sam’s hair, but the younger boy dodged him. 

“Can we please just hurry up.” Sam whined. 

“Why Sammy? Got a hot date waiting for you.” 

“Shut up.” Sam laughed. He felt better once he was inside the store with just Dean. 

It was true, what his older brother said, without Dad they can get whatever they want. Not only that, but without Dad, maybe shopping would actually be fun. The whole reason Sam didn’t want to shop in general was because of the bad experiences his family had while shopping. It was true the Winchesters ran across some bad luck in the Supernatural world. But, damn, they had some bad luck in every other aspect of life too. Shopping with John Winchester was like walking with a cable cord stretched too tightly and any little thing could cause it to fray. There were times when Dad would scream at them in public, leave the store without buying anything, force them to stay quiet the entrie time, and worst of all take them to the bathroom for a little chat with Dad’s hand. It sucked majorly, and Sam swore he would never go shopping again. 

But Dean was different. Sam should have know, his brother would never act like his father around him. Dean tries to be an exact copy of Dad, but when it comes to Sam, he can’t help but be a little motherly. Sam wanted to tease him for it, but he never did because truthfully, Sam was grateful for the loving behavior. 

Dean made everything easier, more fun. He wouldn’t yell if Sam wanted something they couldn’t afford. He would simply explain why they couldn’t get it. Also, he wanted to make Sam happy. He would purposefully buy things he knew Sam liked even if he hated it himself. Yeah, shopping with his brother wasn’t so bad. 

“Hey Sammy, check it out.” Dean’s cheeks were puffed out like a little chipmunk. His smile was overbearing as he held up a little half-pint container of ice cream. “Brown butter and bacon ice cream.” 

Sam burst into a fit of giggles. His brother would like bacon in ice cream. It was so ridiculous he couldn’t stop laughing. 

“Someone’s in a good mood.” Dean stated. When Sam was happy, Dean was happy. “Do you think we should get it?” 

Sam snorted, “Are you going to eat it? Cause I can tell you right now, I’m not eating that.” 

Dean shrugged. He placed the container in the cart saying, “It’s always good to try new things.” 

Sam shook his head in amusement. They passed the cereal isle next. The eleven-year-old had to admit he still loved the sugary captain crunch and lucky charms. 

“Dean, can we get lucky charms?” 

“Yeah, toss it in.” Dean said, crossing something off the list. “We need to get Dad’s wheaties.” 

“What do you like, Dean?” 

The older boy shrugged. “I eat Dad’s stuff. Or I just drink a cup of milk.” 

Sam frowned. He looked over all the different brands of cereal. Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops, Raisin Brand, Frosted Flakes, Honey Nut Cheerios. Sam stopped gazing at the boxes, and picked up the Cheerios.

“Do you still like Honey Nut Cheerios? I remember Bobby use to have a box and you ate the whole thing. 

Dean smiled fondly at the memory. “Yeah, I was like a human vacuum.” 

“Was?” Sam laughed, “you still are!” 

“Put the box back, and let’s go. We have three more isles to get through” Dean said. 

The younger of the two, threw the box of Cheerios in the cart and followed Dean. He noticed the cart was growing heavy, and getting harder to push. 

“We should call it quits soon. Dad will be pissed if we spend more than seventy bucks.” Sam said walking towards Dean. 

“Just a few more necessities, Sammy. I mean, you want to have shampoo to wash your hair with, right?” 

It took them a short amount of time to gather the other items and soon the brothers were checking out. The lady ringing  their items was in her mid thirties. She kept staring at Dean making him feel uncomfortable. He tried to avoid her gaze, look at the floor, anything but her non-blinking eyes. But he couldn’t help the cold-sweat that rose on the back of his neck. At last, she said something. 

“Excuse me, young man, but is your name ‘Dean’ by chance?” 

His eyes snapped to her’s, searching for an explanation on how this woman knows him. 

“Yeah. Do I know you?” Sam was looking between his brother and the lady. _Couldn’t be an ex-flame, she was too old._ Although, Sam could definitely give Dean a hard time about it later. He could tease him relentlessly. _Dean and his cougar._

“I remember your Daddy, John Winchester. He use to come to this grocery store every week when you were a little kid.” 

Dean raised an eyebrow, “Really? You remember me from that?” 

“Yeah, you gotta face that’s hard to forget.” She chuckled. “I’d recognize those freckles in a heart beat.” Dean flushed brightly. 

“When was this?” Sam asked, curious. 

“Oh you were a baby.” She said to Sam, looking at him closely. She was amazed to see what he looked like now that he was all grown up. She couldn’t tell what his appearance would be when he was a baby. “Your Daddy came to Portland after a house fire. He told me about it. Poor man was so grief-stricken, he could barely talk.” 

Sam gulped, feeling suddenly sick. He hated talking about that time. Life seemed so miserable. He was thankful he couldn’t remember any of it. He glanced at his big brother and wondered if Dean could remember any of it. From the looks of it, Dean was in deep thought...

               ———————————

John Winchester, recently made single father, put his fussy one-year-old in the grocery cart seat and began pushing it. His baby was wearing a pair of black and white striped stretchy pants over his freshly changed diaper and a cute white t-shirt with dinosaurs all over it. Now that Sammy was one, he was curious about everything. He wanted to touch everything, he wanted to smell everything, to suck on everything. But a grocery store was no place for doing any of those activities. Thus, John was left with a cranky baby trapped in a cart. 

Dean, on the other hand, was a big help keeping his little brother entertained with stories and stuffed animals. John had recently purchased a stuffed teddy bear that Sammy fell in love with. 

The five-year-old boy was walking beside John, not even having to be told to keep his hands on the cart, he just knew to stay close. He was on the small side for a kid who was five. Only 40 some inches, wearing a Star Wars t-shirt and black stretchy pants, Dean was helping push the cart. The boy was potty trained before Mary passed away. They were working on teaching him how to tie his shoes but she never got to see him accomplish that. John never finished teaching him, so he still had to tie his shoes. And these days, he was in such a hurry, he never had time to teach Dean anything. It was easier to toss the shoes on and do it for him. 

Dean was supposed to be in kindergarten, but John wasn’t sending him to school yet. He hadn’t settled down anywhere long enough but he was hoping to settle down in Portland Oklahoma for a while. 

They started in the produce aisle, looking at the large display of fruits and vegetables. Sammy liked the oranges, he thought they felt funny. Unfortunately, he also thought it was a ball because he tried to bounce it on the ground. Groaning when the orange splattered everywhere, John picked up the mess and threw it away. He apologized to the employee who brought a mop over. 

“You can’t throw oranges,” Dean explained to his younger brother. “They’re for eating, not playing.” 

“Eat!” Sam gurgled, reaching his hands out to try and grab another orange. 

“We can’t eat them yet, we have to pay for them first.” Dean explained again. 

“Play! Dee play!” Sammy exclaimed happily clapping his hands together. 

Dean shook his head, “No, Sammy, not play. I said PAY. Like with money.” 

“Mummy.” Sam cooed and John stopped pushing the cart. He stopped moving all together. Dean stared with growing dread as all the color left his father’s face. 

“Daddy? Are you okay?” Dean whispered. Ever since his mommy passed away, Daddy had been really quiet. Sometimes he wouldn’t even acknowledge Dean. He would come home and lay in bed, and not get up for anything. He didn’t even get up when Dean cried. Didn’t get up when Sammy cried. He sometimes didn’t get up at all, not even to go to the bathroom. So Dean had to feed himself. He had to make Sammy stop crying. He had to try to feed Sammy. It wasn’t easy. He didn’t know how to change diapers so sometimes Sammy would have to stay in a messy diaper until Dad finally got out of bed. 

Dean hoped his father wouldn’t enter one of those dreadful silent moods because he wouldn’t know what to do. How would he get home if Dad just decided to stand in the middle of the produce aisle forever. 

“Daddy?” Dean tugged at his father’s sleeve, but he was unresponsive. A few people passed the small family, giving Dean an uneasy feeling. They were normal people, but the realization that he was alone in a public place without any adult supervision scared the crap out of him. 

“Daddy, please. Let’s just go home.” Dean suggested. He was starting to panic. His father’s eyes were zoned out, as if he were living in his head. 

Sam dropped his teddy bear and began scream-crying, trying to get out of the cart and grab the bear. Rushing to his side, Dean picked up the stuffed animal. Sam immediately stopped screaming when he took the bear from his brother’s hand. 

Dean waited patiently, playing with Sammy to pass the time. But after twenty minutes, he was bored and scared. He needed someone. He needed his Dad or his Mom, but he was all alone. Deciding to take action, for Sammy’s sake, Dean wandered to the check-out station by himself. 

“Hello?” A young woman in her twenties said. She was finishing an order when she spotted the tiny little boy. 

“Hi. Um. I was wondering if you could help me shop. We need diapers and baby wipes for my brother but I can’t reach ‘em.” 

The lady, Addison, was staring at him with sympathy. “Sure, sweetie. Where’s your parents?” She asked, as she packed the last bag for an elderly couple who was now staring at Dean too. 

“Oh I hope he’s not all by himself.” The elderly woman said. 

“Impossible.” The husband said, “how can a toddler come to a store all by himself.” 

“He could be homeless,” the woman whispered. 

Addison handed the couple their bags and they handed her a credit card. 

“Look at him. Does he look homeless?” The husband said, “he’s styled up in some nice pants and -“

“Thank you. Have a great day.” Addison said, handing them a receipt. She was a little pissed at their conversation. The poor little kid looked ready to cry and this elderly couple was discussing his life right in front of him, like he was some sort of celebrity. 

“Don’t mind them. This is a little town, and not much goes on here. People find the smallest things interesting.” Addison said. She walked over towards Dean, and crouched down.  

“So, where did you say your parents were?”

“My Dad,” Dean said, voice hoarse, “he’s in the veggie aisle.” 

“Ok. Let’s go find him, yeah?” Addison took Dean’s hand. As they walked, Addison asked him what his name was, and in return she told him her name. 

When Addison saw the frozen man in the middle of the aisle her heart leaped out of her chest. She’s never seen anyone so out-of-it before. There was a baby crying in the cart in front of him, reaching down for a fallen teddy. Dean picked the bear up and handed it to the baby.

 “Dee don’t leave.” The baby said grabbing a fist full of his brother’s hair. 

She cautiously walked in front of the motionless man. “Excuse me, sir?” She tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. John’s eyes were staring at something in the distance. He was lost in his own memories. “Sir?” Addison clapped her hands in front of his face. When there was still no response, she exchanged looks with Dean. 

“Sir, I need you to wake up.” She shook his shoulders roughly, “Your son needs you to wake up!” 

Like lightning, John’s eyes snapped back to reality, and he nearly drop-kicked the woman standing in front of him. 

Once his hands grabbed her wrist, she screamed, drawing attention from everyone in the store. 

“Dad stop!” Dean shouted, “it’s okay.” 

Quickly, John released his grip on the girl, visibly relaxing. He looked down at Dean and then over to Sammy who was resting his head against in side of the cart. 

“what happened?” He asked. 

Most of the people stopped staring and went back to shopping, a few stayed around to make sure John wasn’t going to try anything. 

“You sort of zoned out.” Addison replied. “Dean found me. He said he needed help shopping for his younger brother?” 

“Yes. Yeah.” John coughed awkwardly. “We have to finish shopping.” He looked down at Dean asking, “How long was I out?” 

Dean shrugged, “a long time.” 

“Sorry Deano.” John put his hand on the back of Dean’s neck. He guided his boy towards the cart. Then he thanked the lady for waking him up. As he pushed the cart into the next aisle, Addison followed. Half of her reasoning was she wanted to be sure the man was alright and the other half was pure curiosity. 

“Sir, can I ask you a question.”  

John grunted, trying to be polite, but really in no mood to answer any questions. “Um, I’m really busy.”

“Really quick.” She said, “I just wanted to know if you were okay?” 

John frowned, reaching up to the top shelf and pulled out a dozen Mac and Cheese boxes. “No. Not really. I don’t think I’ll ever be okay again.” 

Addison furrowed her eyebrows together, “I don’t understand. I know it’s none of my business, but you were really out of it. Does that happen often? Are you sick?” 

John snorted, “Yeah. I am sick.” He put the cans in the cart, “sick with grief.” When the woman gave him another confused look he sighed, “My wife died 7 months ago in a fire.” 

“Oh my God. I’m so sorry. That’s horrific. You do what you need to do. If you need any help with the kids or anything, I would be happy to help. I’m a college student but It’s summer and this is my only job. I’d be happy to babysit if you ever need time to yourself.”

“Thank you.” John smiled a pained but genuine smile. “I might take you up on that. I’m planning on staying here for a little while. This seems like a nice town.”

“It is.” She boasted, “one of the best. Although, I’ve lived here my entire life, so I might be biased, but I love it here. You’re boys will love the playground.” 

John smiled, “thank you again. I’ll see you at check-out line.” 

Addison made sure she was the one who checked-out John’s items. The man bought a small amount of things and most of them were necessities. Shampoo, toothpaste, shaving cream, cereal, Mac and Cheese, spaghettios, bread, peanut butter, apples, bananas, baby wipes, diapers, and a box of cookies. 

“Yum, chocolate chip cookies.” She said, putting it in a bag, “you know, I can give you a pack of Oreos for free.”

“Really?” John laughed, “Well please, by all means, throw them in there. I need a reward system for the boys, and nothing works better than cookies.” 

                ____________________________

“Dean?” Sam snapped his fingers in front of his brother’s face. Dean jumped, glaring at Sam. 

Addison laughed, “like father like son.” She handed him his bag of groceries. “Tell him I said hello.”

“Will do.” Dean agreed. He gestured for Sam to follow him to the parking lot. Once they got to the impala, Dean threw the three bags into the backseat. 

Sam slide into the passenger side after dumping his two bags into the backseat. Hey looked at his brother through the bangs that covered his eyes, “Hey Dean?” He asked. Dean flipped on the radio, offering a causal, ‘huh?’ 

“Do you know what that lady was taking about?”

“What was she talking about, Sam? I couldn’t focus on anything other than her breasts.”

Sam glared while his older brother laughed. “That’s not funny, Dean.”

“It’s a little funny.” Dean said. 

“I’m serious. Do you remember a time when Dad was all quiet. When he was really shaken up, because I can’t picture it. Dad’s never quiet.” 

Dean’s green-eyes flickered with something. But it disappeared as quickly as Sam saw it leaving him to question whether or not he was seeing things. Surely Dean wasn’t upset over something like Dad being quiet. Hell, that would be a blessing in Sam’s eyes. 

“Nah Sammy.” Dean muttered, “I don’t remember a damn thing.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys. Sorry if this was bad. I wrote it really quickly today because my school closed due to flooding. Yay! But I have work tonight. :( 
> 
> Anyway, with this small free time. I decided to write. I’m almost done with another story too, so hopefully I’ll post that soon. Maybe tonight when i’m done with work? 
> 
> I hope your day is going well. Let me know how you’re liking the series in the comments below. As always, Thank you for reading. :)


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